Which Way UCLA?

For instructors, it's not just a simple matter
like throwing a light switch.

The New York Times spotlights UC-Davis as deciding to live with the coronavirus in a profile of various universities:

Universities from Northeastern in Boston to the University of California-Davis have begun to discuss Covid in “endemic” terms — a shift from reacting to each spike of cases as a crisis to the reality of living with it daily. And in some cases, there has been backlash...

At University of California, Davis, Chancellor Gary S. May faced a strong negative reaction after a Dec. 30 statement in which he characterized the Omicron variant as “milder” and suggested a shift to “living with Covid-19 at an endemic level.”

Classes were expected to resume in person on Jan. 10. But a petition signed by 7,500 people, referencing Dr. May’s use of the term “endemic,” accused the university of “not prioritizing the immuno-compromised, the disabled, unvaccinated people, children, those who live with people from any of these groups, or the general health of the public.”

Most in-person classes have been delayed until Jan. 31. “People were sharing their concerns, and the campus leaders listened,” said Julia Ann Easley, a spokeswoman for the university, who also noted a growing Covid-19 case count on campus...

Full story at https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/16/us/politics/colleges-covid-coronavirus.html.

So, is the Davis model going to prevail at UCLA starting in week 5 of the current winter quarter? Instructors really need to know at least a week in advance. As we have stressed in this blog, moving courses in and out of online instruction is not a simple matter like toggling a light switch. Some courses, for example, in week 5 - the half-way point in the 10-week quarter - will have scheduled midterm exams. And there are other courses with design features in which advance planning is needed.